Sunday sauntering

 I am procrastinating - I should be at work but thanks to the weather it's been postponed. So I suddenly have a couple of hours free before my next garden - hopefully the rain keeps off.

I had toyed with the idea of working in my own garden however when I took Moss out, it is absolutely sodden out there, so now I am back inside with you lot thinking that I'll stick the kettle on and with a mug of coffee post about our Sunday adventure .... yup, think that is what I'll do. Back in a tick.

When we woke on Sunday morning, it was after a rather hot and muggy fitful night in the van, we had listened off and on to the storms as they continued to roll over the sea, sometimes crashing over the van.  At some time through the night a merry group of happy football supporters sang tunelessly home as they wove their way through the lanes. Then just as it became light we both finally fell asleep to awake again at 9am feeling a little groggy.

Throwing open Zeb's door revealed a damp view with more storms drifting across the horizon. The air felt fresh and we could smell the wet grass and it smelt cool and invigorating. We had our breakfast and tidied the van - we had a date to keep before meeting up with Youngest - we were off to visit a garden as part of the NGS. We used to do this a fair bit when the boys were younger and I decided on a whim I would like to start doing it again. So last week I, checked the garden was dog friendly and served teas then happily booked two tickets on line.

We parked alongside the very attractive Lancaster canal, walked down a lovely little street with cute houses and pretty front gardens, then beneath a rather impressive railway arch and arrived at Carr House Farm. 

The description and the website photographs did not do this garden justice. Although not our style of landscaping it was nonetheless an impressive garden which had obvious love and care and hours and hours of labour dedicated to it and it showed by the bucket loads!

We wandered around looking at the plants and hidden sculptures - some which were in plain sight and others that took a moment or two to spot.

The Italian influence could not be missed with huge urns, fastigiated conifers, avenues and statues.

Then equally there were hints of an Oriental influence - the one I particularly liked - the bowls of tumbling Soleirolia soleriolii - one I might try!

 

Throughout the garden there were water features filling the air with the sound of trickling or gushing which made Moss's ears prick up - we had to gently guide her away (drag her more likely) before she decided a dip was preferable to walking around the garden!

We stayed about two hours, stopping for lemon drizzle and fruit cake and tea before setting off to meet Youngest. I took a fair few photographs - I have only subjected you to a small selection! But I will leave you with some of my favourites .....

He's home now, the dog is delighted as is the cat - we have been demoted by them in preference to Youngest ... nice to know your place in the pack...!

Oh - it's raining again. hmmm.

Saturday's are for adventures

 Youngest has finished his second year at uni so we arranged to meet up him on Sunday and help bring back all his goods and chattels he'd accumulated over the year. We went up on the Saturday, taking the long way round, driving through the Trough of Bowland, stopping for lunch and a walk.

We walked up Langden valley which is full of water treatment works capturing water coming off the moors. Tucked just in visible view is a stone mermaid sitting watching the water gush through the channels. I have photographed her in the past but the hedges have grown so much that we could just about see her but not well enough to take a picture.

Along the road we came across a small herd of what I suspect are Dalesbred ponies - with the most gloriously feathery legs. One of them came up and inspected us over the mossy wall. He had the softest velvety nose which he allowed me to stroke.

The river cheerfully babbled over the large pebbles however either side of the bank was evidence of previous torrential flooding where the edges had been ripped up and huge boulders tossed aside. The water must come down with some incredible force as the scarring was very much wider than today's benign little stream tumbling off the moors.

We'd set off in wellies and waterproofs, clutching umbrellas and hoping that we'd stay dry. It soon became hot and muggy and all forms of rainproof clothing were cast aside and stuffed into my haversack. The walk was lovely - wild and desolate moorland scenery with the occasional sheep grazing in the undergrowth.

We returned to the van and seeing we were surrounded by other walkers and day trippers, a noisy catering truck and a long queue, we moved the van a little further up the moorland road and stopped in a completely empty parking site. It was lovely and quiet with a trickling stream just in front of us and we sat with a brew and listened to the swallows chittering and the swifts screaming. Moss curled up on her cushion in the cab and dozed with half shut eyes.

Why does a mug of tea made in the van and drunk in the countryside tastes so much nicer?

Having rested a while, we jumped back into the van and headed off to our stop for the night. We were not meeting Youngest until Sunday afternoon and our weekend adventure had only just started.

We parked up and I started cooking - we were starving by now and ready to eat. Shortly afterwards, we were sitting blowing on forkfuls of steaming hot pasta watching the ever changing sky.

The stormy weather was all around us and the sky had taken on a strange shade of blue. The sea glistened a startling silvery white and views flattened through the hazy humid air.

With one eye on the huge clouds building over the seas, we set off for a short walk along the estuarine edge, round back along the canal with a quick stop at the marina basin for Moss - she was warm and muddy and she was keen for a cool dip. The humid air was filled with the heady scent of the honeysuckle in all the hedges along the canal - it was a rich and delicious fragrance.

Himself checked the rain radar on his cellphone and suggested that we set off back to the van at a quick pace - we did not want to be caught out.

We'd not been back long when a barn owl silently flew past on an evening hunt and we held our breath in excitement as it landed not far from us - just long enough for me to take a picture through the van window.

Again with brew in hand, we sat and watched the storms roll across the sea and clash as they reached the shore. We could hear distant rolling thunder and the air felt electric. It then cooled and a breeze whipped up tossing the clouds towards us - we watched as long as we could then as we were about to retreat into the van, a searing white fork of lightning zapped downward and hit the power station across the water. The resulting thunder clap was the loudest one I have ever heard and all the water fowl down on the marshes and on the sea all rose up screaming and flew off rapidly to safety.  

We closed ourselves away just as the rain hit the van and we listened in delight at the clattering raindrops as they hit the roof - the thunder rolled on and round us - it was brilliant. 

And tomorrow - Sunday - was another adventure just waiting to happen 😊

leading you up the garden path

June has been a gentle summer - with both warm and rainy days - today is the perfect example of what I imagined years ago. An English summer's day - warming up after a night of rain, with sunlight highlighting wet leaves and glistening flowers.

Alpine strawberries sweetly scenting the stone wall - as you walk by you are hit by their intense fruity fragrance, this mixes with the spicy aroma of the geraniums as their leaves warm up in the sunshine.

It seems that I am not the only one attracted to the aromatic bouquet lingering around the angelica. I can see you Mr Snail!

My little succulent gardens are growing, filling their pots and growing offshoots at a rapid rate - they must be happy.

There is something incredibly fascinating about the hydroscopic nature of Alchemilla mollis leaves - I love that the raindrops look like beads of glass. It's quiet unpretentious apple green leaves and lime green flowers are a delight as they froth along the top of the wall.

In the cool of the shade as I went down the path, the plants and flowers were less scented - they also need the sun to excite their perfume. However the cat mint was still able to exude enough aroma to attract the cat.... it is now known as the 'flat' mint ....

Our mini meadow is full of yellow rattle,  which excites me - you can already see the grass surrounding it looks less vigorous, the cat finds this wild part of the garden perfect to lie in, she vanishes and sleeps. 

A small wild piece of Eden, full of birds, insects, a fat and rather cantankerous and indolent white cat and us - bliss.

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